Venetian blind



Aug. 17, 1965 A. KRUELL 3,

VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 22, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PRIOR ART a IIIIIIl/II'IIII; VIIIIIII/IIAYIIII.

H6. 8 FIG. 7

I PM

Aug. 17, 1965 A. KRUELL 3,200,876

VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 22. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 .414 fwkv M United States Patent 3 2810376 VENETIAN BLIND Andreas Kriiell, Am Ghertor 6, Neuss (Rhine), Germany Filed Mar. 22, 1%2, Ser. No. 181,740 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 24, 1%1, K 43,2565 7 tliaims. (til. 160-173) The present invention relates to Venetian blinds or other types of jalousie structures which are adjustable in the sense that the slats thereof can be tilted so as to adjust the extent to which light and/ or air is admitted or shut out, and also to structures of this type which are capable of being collapsed or extended so that it is possible to completely uncover areas of a window or the like when the structure is contracted to its collapsed condition.

In conventional Venetian blinds the slats rest on elements which extend across and are carried by a pair of tapes and when the blind is contracted so as to locate the slats closely adjacent to each other these tapes will fold together and will project beyond the slats forwardly and rearwardly thereof so that the available space is occupied necessarily by portions of the tapes themselves when the Venetian blind is contracted to its collapsed condition. This arrangement presents certain disadvantages because if the space which is required for the portions of the tapes which project beyond the slats when the Venetian blind is contracted could instead be occupied by the slats themselves, these slats could be made much wider and it would therefore be possible to provide a far better control of the admission and shutting out of the light and air. For example, if the slats are wider they can be turned to a certain angle where the light will be reliably excluded but at the same time substantial spacing could still be maintained between the slats to admit air.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a construction of the above type wherein it is possible to use substantially the entire available space for the slats themselves, so that the slats can be made wider than the conventional slats.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the above type which will reliably guarantee that the tapes, during contracting of the Venetian blind, fold inwardly into the spaces between the slats and do not fold outwardly beyond these spaces.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a construction where the tapes may either be connected to outer side edges of the slats or inwardly of these side edges, passing through suitable openings of the slats.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a construction of the above type where the places along a tape where the latter is connected with a slat will remain unchanged along the length of the tape, so that the spacing between the slats will be reliably maintained.

it is furthermore an object of the present invention to provide a structure which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive and which at the same time will accomplish the above results.

With the above objects in view the invention includes, in a Venetian blind, a tape having collapsed and extended positions, and pivot means located adjacent to the tape at one ide thereof when it is in its extended position. In accordance with the present invention a means is provided for connecting the pivot means to the tape to one side thereof when the tape is extended, and this connecting means preferably includes a portion of the tape which is formed into a loop so as to receive the pivot means in this loop, the structure of the invention including a holding means which holds the looped portion of the tape at a predetermined location along the tape. The pivot means which is thus held by the tape, in accordance with the present invention, carries, at least in part, a slat oi the Venetian blind or other jalousie structure.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

HQ. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a conventional Venetian blind arrangement;

FIG. 2 illustrates diagrammatically one possible construction according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically another possible construction according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows in longitudinal section part of a tape of the structure of the invention with the means which holds a portion of this tape in a loop, FIG. 4 also illustrating how a pivot means is carried by the looped portion of the tape;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrow;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI--VI of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 shows, in elevation, one embodiment of a holding member in accordance with the invention, used to hold part of the tape in the form of a loop;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line Vlll-Vlll of FIG. 7 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal section of part of a tape and another embodiment of a structure of the invention for holding in the tape a looped portion as well as a pivot means;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FlG. 9 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line Xl-XI of FIG. 9 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 12 shows in elevation the holding member used with the embodiment of Fit-GS. 911;

FIG. 13 is an end view of the holding member of FIG. 12 as seen from the right of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 shows in elevation a pivot means used in the assembly of the invention;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the pivot means of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 fragmentarily illustrates a slat and the manner in which the pivot means is connected thereto;

FIG. 17 illustrates in section a slat and another embodiment of a structure for connecting a pivot means thereto;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure of FIG. 17;

PEG. 19 shows the manner in which the structure of FIGS. 17 and 18 is assembled, the structure being shown in HS. 19 in the position it takes before the assembly has been completed;

FIG. 20 is a view of the structure of Fifi. 19 when the assembly has been completed; and

FIG. 21 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of a pivot means according to the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown therein, diagrammatically, a conventional Venetian blind arrangement wherein, in the position shown in FIG. 1, the lower slats L are closer to each other than the upper slats L, the blind being shown in FIG. 1 in a partially contracted condition. The slats L are carried by the elements S which extend between and are connected to the tapes T in a conventional manner. As is apparent from the lower part of FIG. 1 which shows the Venetian blind in its collapsed condition, when the slats are locataao sve ed close to each other the tapes fold in the manner shown in the lower part of FIG. 1 so that these tapes necessarily extend forwardly and rearwardly of the slats themselves. The contracting and extending of the Venetian blind is brought about in a conventional manner through manipulation of the cord A which extends through openings of the several slats, as is well known. Because the tapes fold in the manner illustrated in the lower part of FIG. 1, it is necessary to provide for the Venetian blind a space having the depth E indicated the lower part of FlG. 1, and thus the requirement for this space E is necessitated to a rather substantial degree to accommodate the portions of the tape which project beyond the slats when the Venetian blind is contracted to its collapsed condition.

FiG. 2 illustrates one possible embodiment according to the invention. As may be seen from FIG. 2 the tapes are connected to the slats by assemblies G which serve to connect to the tapes a plurality of pivot means which in turn carry the slats. With this arrangement the tapes fold inwardly into the spaces between the slats, as is apparent from FIG. 2, so that the tapes never extend beyond the slats, and as a result it is possible to provide with the structure of the invention slats L shown in FIG. 2 which are much wider than the slats of FIG. 1, since it is possible with the invention to utilize the entire depth E of the available space for the slats themselves.

FIG. 3 shows another arrangement according to the invention where the assemblies G are located at the outer side edges of the slats. Here again since the tape always fold inwardly into the spaces between the slats it is possible to utilize the entire depth E for the slats themselves. In the case of FIG. 2, the folded portion of one tape located between a pair of slats will become located over or under the folded portion of the other tape which is in the same space, this folding taking place automatically during collapsing of the Venetian blind.

The details of one embodiment of an assembly G are illustrated in FIGS. 4-8. Referring to FIGS. 4-8 it will be seen that part of the tape is formed into a loop. A holding means is provided to hold a portion of the tape in the connguration of a loop, and this holding means, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, takes the form of a flat thin plate 1 of sheet metal or the like which is formed with a slot 2. A doubled portion of the tape T, as shown in dotted lines FlGS. 7 and 8, is drawn through the slot 2, so as to form on one side of this slot a loop 4 which is formed from part of the tape. A pin forms a pivot means and is received in the looped portion of the tape, the tape tightly gripping the pin 5 at its exterior surface so that the pin 5 cannot turn with respect to the looped portion 4 of the tape, and with this arrangement, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the loop cannot slip along the tape so that it will reliably remain in the position where it is initially located, also holding the pivot means 5 at the selected position along the tape T. The pin 5 has a pair of end portions 5a which project beyond the looped portion of the tape and which are received in suitable recesses of the slat or of elements connected to the slat, so that in this way the slat is supported, at least in part, by a pin 5. It will be noted from FIG. 4 that the holding means 1 forms in the tape bent portions at the places where the doubled portion of the tape passes through the slot 2 of the plate 1, and these bent portions are so located that when the Venetian blind is contracted so as to draw the slats toward each other the tape portions will necessarily fold inwardly into the spaces between the slats. The pin 5 is cylindrical and the pivot portions 5a are concentric with the remainder of the pin 5. Of course, the spacing of the pins 5 along each tape corresponds to the spacing between the several slats.

' Another embodiment of the assembly G is illustrated in FIGS. 9-l3. According to this embodiment the holding means which holds a portion of the tape in the form of a loop takes the form of an elongated sleeve 6 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and this sleeve is formed with an elongated cutout da extending along the entire length thereof. In this case also a doubled portion of the tape is passed through the cutout 6a, and in this case the doubled portion of the tape passes into the interior of the sleeve 6 to form a looped portion 4 of the tape therein, as shown most clearly in FIG. 9. The pin 5 is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 which show the cylindrical configuration of the pin 5 and of the concentric end portions 5a thereof which are of reduced diameter. This pin 5 is received in the interior of the sleeve 6 and is surrounded by the looped portion 4 therein, so that in this way the pin 5 is held by the tape in its looped portion and also with this embodiment the looped portion cannot slip along the tape so that the spacing of the several assemblies G will remain unchanged and it is thus possible to precisely determine the spacing between the several slats. In this embodiment also the pin 5 cannot turn with respect to the looped portion of the tape.

Before the parts are assembled the tape itself is provided with suitable markings which indicate where the looped portions thereof should be formed, and then the assemblies G are provided, and thereafter the several slats are connected to the several assemblies G. As is apparent particulary from FIGS. 4 and 9, when the tapes are in their extended conditions the pivot means is located adjacent to but to one side of the tape, and of course with the embodiment of FIG. 9, as with the embodiment of FIG. 4, the tapes will necessarily fold inwardly to the spaces between the slats.

The attaching of the pivot means to the slats can take place in different ways. As is shown 'in FIG. 16, for example, the slat L is formed along a side edge with a notch 7 which receives the assembly G in the manner shown in FIG. 16. The side portions 7a of the notch 7 are formed with recesses which receive the pivot pin portions 5a of the pivot means 5. The pivot means shown in FIG. 21 is particularly adapted for this type of assembly. As may be seen from FIG. 21, this pivot means includes a cylindrical hollow sleeve 5 which receives in its interior the pivot pin portions. These pivot pin portions 5a each include a collar 5b which is slidable along the interior surface of the sleeve 5, and next to these collars 5b the pivot pin portions 5a carry integral projections So which extend into the ends of a coil spring 8 which is located within the sleeve 5' and which urges the pair of pivot pin portions apart from each other, the collars 5b engaging inwardly directed annular flanges located at the ends of the sleeve 5', so that in this way the outward movement of the pivot pin portions 5a, is limited. With this pivot means of FIG. 21 located in the looped portion of the tape, one of the pivot pin portions is placed in one of the recesses along one side edge 7a of a notch 7 shown in FIG. 16, and then the other pivot pin is pushed inwardly in opposition to the spring 8 and will then snap into the other recess formed in the slat, so that in this way it is a simple matter to connect the slats to the tapes.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 16 corresponds to a structure as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3. FIGS. 17-20 illustrate the details of a structure corresponding to that of FIG. 2 where the tapes extend through openings of the slats inwardly of their side edges. As may be seen from FIG. 18, in this case the slat is formed with an opening 9 passing therethrough to receive the assembly G. For the sake of clarity the tape is omitted from FIGS. 17 and 18. The pivot means 5 used in this embodiment corresponds to that shown in FIGS. 14- and 15 as well as in FIGS. 4 and 9. This is in the form of a simple cylindrical pin 5 having a pair of end portions 5a of reduced diameter. With this embodiment a pair of inserts 1d are used, and each insert it) has a pair of transverse grooves ltla respectively formed in its opposed end faces, as is apparent from FIGS. 19 and 20. Each insert is connected to the slat by first placing an edge which forms the opening 9 in one groove and then snapping the opposed edge portion into the other groove of the insert 19, the springy nature of the slat L enabling it to yield and snap into the other groove. When one of the inserts it is located in position at one end of the opening 9 one of the pivot pin portions 5a is placed in a recess which is formed in each insert it and then the other end portion 5a of the pivot means 5 is placed in the recess of the other insert it which is then assembled with the slat in the manner described above, and of course before the pivot means 5 is assembled with the insert 19 this pivot means 5 has already been assembled with the tape, as indicated in FIG. 19. In this way it is possible to very quickly assemble the structure of the invention.

The structure of the invention is capable of being used for all types of jalousie arrangements. The Venetian blinds with which the structure of the invention is used can have the slats extending either horizontally or vertically, and also the structure of the invention can be used with that type of Venetian blind where the blind is rolled in order to be contracted into its collapsed condition uncovering the opening such as a window or the like which is to be covered by the blind.

Because it is possible to use wider slats with the structure of the invention, even when the slats extend horizontally they will cut out more sunlight than conventional slats. Moreover, it will be noted that with the structure of the invention the entire width of a tape is available for carrying the pivot means.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of jalousie structures differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and describe-d as embodied in Venetian blinds, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated fiexible tapes; a plurality of holding members arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes, each of said holding members being formed with an elongated cutout through which doubled portions of the respective tape extend to form on one side of said cutouts looped portions of said tape while portions of the respective tape adjacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions away from each other substantially in a plane, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; a plurality of pivot pins respectively engaged by and held in said looped portions and each having opposite end portions projecting beyond the respective holding member; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats respectively pivotally supported at transversely spaced portions thereof on end portions of pivot pins located in aligned pairs of looped portions of said pair of tapes, said slats being movable between an open position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

2. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a plurality of holding members arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes, each of said holding members being formed with an elongated cutout through which doubled portions of the respective tape extend to form on one side of said cutouts looped portions of said tape whil portions of the respective tape adjacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions away from each other substantially in a plane, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; a plurality of pivot pins respectively engaged by and held in said looped portions and each having opposite end portions projecting beyond the respective holding member; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats, each of said slats being formed at transversely spaced portions thereof with recesses respectively receiving the end portions of pivot pins located in aligned looped portions of said pair of tapes for respectively pivotally supporting said slats, said slats being movable between an open position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

3. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a plurality of holding members arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes, each of said holding members being formed with an elongated cutout through which doubled portions of the respective tape extends to form on one side of said cutouts looped portions of said tape while portions of the respective tape adjacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions away from each other substantially in a plane, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; a plurality of pivot means respectively engaged by and held in said looped portions and projecting with opposite ends thereof beyond said looped portions and the respective holding members; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats, each of said slats being formed at transversely spaced portion-s thereof with a pair of cutouts respectively receiving the pivot means located in aligned looped portions of said pair of tapes, and each slat being formed at each of said cutouts with a pair of recesses which respectively receive end portions of the respective pivot means so that the latter pivotally support said slats, said slats being movable between an open .position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

4. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a pulrality of holding members arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes, each of said holding members being formed with an elongated cutout through which doubled portions of the respective tape extend to form on one side of said cutouts looped portions of said tape while portions of the respective tape adjacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions away from each other substantially in a plane, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; a plurality of pivot means respectively engaged by and held in said looped portions and projecting with opposite ends thereof beyond said looped portions and the respective holding members; a plurality of substantially parallel slats, each of said slats being formed at transversely spaced portions thereof with a pair of cutouts; and a pair of inserts carried by each slat in each of said cutouts, said inserts being respectively formed with recesses which respectively receive end portions of the respective pivot means so that the latter pivotally supports said slats, said slats being movable between an open position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

5. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a plurality of holding plates each formed with an elongated slot passing therethrough arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes with doubled portions of the respective tape extending through said slots to form on one side of said slots looped portions of said tape while portions of the respective tape a'djacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions substantially in a plane away from each other, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; an elongated pin held in each of said looped portions of said tapes on said one side of said holding plates and having opposite end portions projecting beyond the respective holding plate; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats, each of said slats being formed at transversely spaced portions thereof with recesses respectively receiving the end portions of pivot pins located in aligned looped portions of said pair of tapes for respectively pivotally supporting said slats, said slats being movable between an open position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, Whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

6. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a plurality of holding sleeves formed with an elongated cutout arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes with doubled portions of the respective tape extending through said cutouts to form on one side of said cutouts in the interior of said sleeves looped portions of said tape while portions of the respective tape adjacent said looped portions extend in opposite directions substantially in a plane away from each other, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs; an elongated pin held in each of said looped portions of said tape on said one side of said holding sleeves and having opposite end portions projecting beyond the respective holding sleeve; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats, each of said slats being formed at transversely spaced portions thereof with recesses respectively receiving the end portions of pivot pins located in aligned looped portions of said pair of tapes for respectively pivotally supporting said slats, said slats being movable between an open positon and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said sl-ats are moved to said contracted position, said portions of said tapes adjacent said looped portions will fold inwardly between said slats.

7. In a Venetian blind, in combination, a pair of elongated flexible tapes; a plurality of means arranged spaced from each other along each of said tapes for forming from spaced portions of each tape loops having each a pair of abutting portions and a looped portion extending between said abutting portions with the remaining tape portions between said loops extending substantially in a plane on one side of said loops, the looped portions in one of said tapes arranged to face away from the looped portions in the other tape and the looped portions in said pair of tapes being aligned in pairs in a direction transverse to said plane; a plurality of pivot pins respectively engaged by and held in said looped portions and each having opposite end portions projecting beyond the re- 'spective looped portion; and a plurality of substantially parallel slats respectively pivotally supported at transversely spaced portions thereof on end portions of pivot pins located in aligned pairs of looped portions of said pair of tapes, said slats being movable between an open position and a contracted position in which said slats are closer together than in said open position, whereby when said slats are moved to said contracted position said remaining tape portions of said tapes between said loops will fold inwardly between said slats.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,791,831 2/31 Nelson -168 1,898,650 2/33 Whiteker 24-197 2,110,040 3/38 Duskin et al. 160-173 2,130,319 9/38 Hammer 160-173 X 2,244,094 6/41 Wread 160170 2,357,751 9/44 McGrew 160-178 2,881,497 4/59 Clore et a1 24171 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, BENJAMIN BENDETT,

Examiners. 

1. IN A VENETIAN BLIND, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TAPE; A PLURALITY OF HOLDING MEMBER ARRANGED SPACED FROM EACH OTHER ALONG EACH OF SAID TAPES, EACH OF SAID HOLDING MEMBERS BEING FORMED WITH AN ELONGATED CUTOUT THROUGH WHICH DOUBLED PORTIONS OF THE RESPECTIVE TAPE EXTEND TO FORM ON ONE SIDE CUTOUTS LOOPED PORTIONS OF SAID TAPE WHILE PORTIONS OF THE RESPECTIVE TAPE ADJACENT SAID LOOPED PORTIONS EXTEND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE, THE LOOPED PORTIONS IN ONE OF SAID TAPES ARRANGED TO FACE AWAY FROM THE LOOPED PORTIONS IN THE OTHER TAPE AND THE LOOPED PORTIONS IN SAID PAIR OF TAPES BEING ALIGNED IN PAIRS; A PLURALITY OF PIVOT PINS RESPECTIVELY ENGAGED BY AND HELD IN SAID LOOPED PORTIONS AND EACH HAVING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS PROJECTING BEYOND THE RESPECTIVE HOLDING MEMBER; AND A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALY PARALLEL SLATS RESPECTIVELY PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED AT TRANSVERSELY SPACES 